Category: pediatric dental care

What Should You Do?

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If you have children, you probably already know that they fall. It’s inevitable. Falls happen. While most incidents of falling are minor and can be handled with a band-aid and a hug, sometimes when kids fall they can accidentally knock out a tooth. This situation takes a fall from minor to scary in seconds. So, what do you do? We’ve compiled a few things to do (and a few things not to do) if your child falls and knocks out or damages a tooth.

First, stay calm. While that may be extremely difficult if your child has lost has just lost a tooth, your ability to remain calm will help your child calm down.

Second, call us. If your child has lost or damaged a tooth, call us immediately. Ideally, we should see your child within an hour of the incident.

Third, store it safely. If you can locate the tooth, put it into a cup of saliva. Yes, we said saliva. While milk is often touted as a way to –preserve teeth, it is not the best option. If you cannot get your child’s saliva, you can use your own if you are comfortable with it. If not, then you can use milk. Do not use water – ever.

Fourth, don’t try to clean it. While there may be dirt, mud, or blood on the tooth, attempting to clean the tooth can cause unintentional damage. Do not rinse or use a cleaning agent such as alcohol or peroxide. Try not to handle the tooth too much, either, to prevent adding germs to the mix. If you have to handle the tooth, try to pick it up by the crown and not the root.

Fifth, don’t try to put it back in.  If it is a baby tooth, do not try to push the tooth back in. Doing so could damage the new adult tooth just below the newly-created space.

We hope a dental emergency never happens to you, but if it does, we will be here. Call us at 972-987-4899 with all of your dentistry needs.

Why Myofunctional Therapy?

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Struggling with TMJD, sleep apnea, tooth clenching or tooth grinding or other uncomfortable dental condition? You may be a candidate for myofunctional therapy at Millennium Smiles. During myofunctional therapy, we work to retrain the tongue and other muscles that may be impacting your teeth, jaws and the health of your mouth.

Why Choose Myofunctional Therapy?

  • It’s noninvasive. Myofunctional therapy requires exercises and appliances – no surgery!
  • Appliances are removable versus fixed appliances used for orthodontic treatment.
  • It can be combined with other treatments for better results.
  • It is not just cosmetic treatment; it improves how your whole mouth functions for chewing, biting, speaking and swallowing.
  • It helps you breathe through your nose, which helps eliminate the negative consequences of mouth breathing.
  • Speaking of mouth breathing, myofunctional therapy can cure sleep apnea in some cases. How? Myofunctional therapy can retrain your tongue, face, and throat muscles to relax in a way that does not blog your airway.
  • Anyone can do it. While myofunctional therapy works best when patients are younger, it can still work for adults.

Who Does Myofunctional Therapy Help?

  • Individuals living with TMJD
  • Individuals who clench and grind their teeth
  • Individuals undergoing orthodontic treatment
  • Individuals experiencing orthodontic relapses, such as crowding, shifting, open bite, and crossbite
  • Individuals who breathe through their mouth
  • Individuals with tongue ties/tongue restriction and those who have had a frenectomy (tongue tie release surgery)
  • Individuals with bad oral habits such as thumb sucking and nail-biting
  • Individuals living with allergies
  • Individuals living with sleep apnea and other sleep breathing disorders
  • Individuals living with ADD/ADHD

Are you an individual with a condition we mentioned? Do you want to learn more about how myofunctional therapy from Millennium smiles can help you? Call us at 972-987-4899 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Korous today!

Candy Is Okay for Halloween – with Some Considerations!

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Halloween is just a few weeks away. As you are planning your costumes and thinking about festivities, we want to take a minute to talk about one of the best parts of Halloween: candy. Yes, candy! We know you are probably surprised to hear a dentist say that candy is great, but let’s face it, candy is actually pretty great. Of course, we recommend that you eat candy with a few rules in mind.

So, It’s Okay to Eat Candy?

Yes, it is okay to eat candy. But, candy is best consumed in moderation. We suggest limiting yourself or your kids to one to two pieces a day (yes, a day!), instead of grabbing the bowl and binging. We recognize that this means practicing serious restraint, but trust us, it will be to your benefit.

Too much candy shows. It shows up on your waistline and on your teeth, which could lead to cavities if you don’t brush or floss regularly. Keep in mind that any food can lead to cavities if you don’t take care of your teeth!

A Word About Gum

While gum is not candy, we want to take a minute to talk about it, too. Chewing gum can help keep your teeth healthy because its sticky nature helps to pull out tiny bits of food left behind after you eat until you can brush or floss. The act of chewing gum helps to cause saliva production, which is beneficial because saliva can help remineralize your teeth.

What About Sugar-Free Candy?

While there is a time and place for sugar-free candy for some individuals, sugar-free candy frequently contains artificial sweeteners, as well as acidic additives that can be damaging to tooth enamel.

We would love to see a picture of your trick or treaters! Be sure to share on our Millennium Smiles Facebook page!

What Is Tongue Thrust?

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Usually when a person swallows food or liquid the tongue pushes on the area behind the upper front teeth. However, a person with tongue thrust routinely pushes the tongue between the top and bottom front teeth when swallowing.

This habit, which is also known as reverse swallowing, might sound harmless, but it can lead to various health problems. If left untreated, teeth can become misaligned, jaw development can be negatively impacted, a lisp might develop, and swallowing patterns can become abnormal. With those complications in mind, it’s best to try to identify the problem as soon as possible.

Signs and Causes of Tongue Thrust

Some commons signs of tongue thrust include:

  • Lips rest in open position

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  • Tongue rests against or between teeth
  • Difficulty breathing through the nose
  • Speech production issues
  • Messy or noisy eating
  • Snoring

The causes of tongue thrust range from hereditary factors to daily habits. For example, tongue-tie, an enlarged tongue, or enlarged tonsils can lead a child to thrust his or her tongue forward while swallowing.

Children who continue to suck on their thumbs or on a bottle beyond the usual timeframe can also develop tongue thrust. It’s normal for an infant to have tongue thrust while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, but the baby’s swallowing patterns need to eventually change as he or she grows.

Obstructed breathing, whether in the form of nasal congestion or allergies, can also cause tongue thrust, as the tongue is forced into a new position to make mouth breathing easier.

Treatment

It’s possible to correct tongue thrust with the help of Dr. Korous and some cooperation from the patient. Myofunctional therapy, a series of oral exercises, can retrain the tongue to move and rest in healthier ways. In some cases, a Myrobrace appliance is also used to correct the problem, but it is often still accompanied by the therapy exercises.

If you think your child may have tongue thrust or want to learn more about Myobrace and myofunctional therapy, call to schedule a consultation by calling our Frisco dental office today.

Video

Watch the video below to see how tongue thrust impacts jaw development and tooth alignment.

Orthodontic Relapse and Myofunctional Disorders

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Imagine this situation: A teenager spends several months wearing braces or Invisalign to correct misaligned teeth. Roughly a year after the orthodontic treatment ends, the teeth begin to shift back into their problematic spaces.

This sort of relapse often occurs when the underlying causes of the original misalignment are never fully addressed. Under constant pressure from a myofunctional disorder, the teeth will become crooked again, and the patient is back to where he or she started.

Cause of Relapse

Many people believe that orthodontic relapse is the result of tongue thrust – routinely thrusting the tongue between the top and bottom front teeth when swallowing. However, the shift in teeth can be also related to the tongue’s resting position, rather than its movements. The same applies to the resting positions of the mandible and the lips.

Unresolved myofunctional conditions, such as tongue-tie, lip-tie, airway obstruction, and unusual swallowing patterns, can all indicate that the tongue, lips, and mandible aren’t resting properly. In addition to reversing the effects of previous orthodontic treatments, these disorders also come with other unpleasant symptoms that a patient might want to reduce. For example, obstructed airways often lead to sleep apnea, which is characterized by difficulty breathing when sleeping. So the patient will find multiple health benefits to resolving the issue.

Dr. Korous recently met with a teen who was experiencing orthodontic relapse. The spacing returned to his upper teeth, and on the bottom his front teeth shifted forward creating spaces behind the canines on either side. Dr. Korous recognized this was due to an unresolved myofunctional disorder. His tongue was pushing his teeth forward.

He also experienced snoring and teeth grinding – signs of a breathing obstruction. Another indication was that when he was younger, his tonsils and adenoids were removed. Many children have their tonsils and adenoids removed, but no one asks why they got enlarged to being with and what is the underlying cause? A breathing issue, most often an obstruction in airway, can lead to the enlargement.

Dr. Korous confirmed an airway blockage by observing a Mallampati score of 4 in the patient.

Treatment

Myofunctional therapy is typically the key to changing the resting position of the tongue and other parts of the mouth. In some cases, such as with tongue-tie, minor surgery is required, but even that step should be followed up with therapy. The exercises a patient performs during myofunctional therapy will train the structures of the oral cavity to not only move correctly, but to rest properly when not in use.

For the teen mentioned above, Dr, Korous will propose a multi-step treatment plan that could include:

  • Sleep test to diagnose sleep apnea,
  • Myofunctional therapy with Myobrace
  • Laser tongue-tie procedure
  • Myofunctional therapy after the procedure
  • Second-phase orthodontic treatment to realign teeth.

A patient should only consider braces, Invisalign, or other orthodontic treatment after all underlying conditions have been corrected. Otherwise, he or she risks having to spend more time and money trying to fix the orthodontic relapse.

If you are living in Frisco or Little Elm, and think you’re experiencing orthodontic relapse or may have an myofunctional disorder, call Millennium Smiles today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Korous.

Talking About Tongue-Ties

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Do you know what it means to be “tongue-tied”?

There’s one figurative meaning that means to stumble over words, and then there is a literal definition that means the tongue is physically tied to the lower jaw as a result of development in utero. Although statistics show that about four percent of babies born in the United States are born with a tongue-tie, the number is actually much higher because the condition is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. While it may seem odd that a dentist is writing about tongue-ties in babies, the condition has consequences for jaw development and the palate. Learn more about how Dr. Korous is your Frisco dental expert in treating patients with tongue-ties.

What Is a Tongue-tie?

A tongue-tie is a malformation of the lingual frenulum, the skin that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. This malformation causes a restriction in the movement of the tongue and can lead to a speech impediment. If left untreated, a tongue-tie can also cause problems in newborn babies in latching during breastfeeding, which can mean more air is swallowed during nursing causing painful gas, acid reflux, nutritional deficiencies and failure to thrive. The condition, also known as ankyloglossia, can lead to increased rates of ear infections, speech delays or speaking difficulties and difficulty in cleaning the teeth.

Tongue-ties can also restrict the growth of the lower jaw, which can lead to misalignment of the teeth and malocclusion of the bite. These conditions cause wear and tear on the teeth over time and may mean more dental care is needed.

As a result of the complications related to an untreated tongue-tie, it is important that the condition is diagnosed early, and interventions are started.

How Does Dr. Korous Treat a Tongue-tie?

The most common way to treat a tongue-tie is by cutting the tissue to release the tongue. This can be done surgically or with a laser. However, there is another treatment that can be performed before and after cutting the tissue to maximize results. This treatment is known as myofunctional therapy.

What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is a treatment designed to make tongue-tie surgery more successful. After the tissue under the tongue is cut and the tongue is released, myofunctional treatment can help prevent the tissue from reattaching. Dr. Korous begins myofunctional treatment for two to three weeks before the tissue is cut, and the treatment lasts for a few weeks after the procedure to make sure the muscles of the mouth are functioning correctly.

When Should Children Have Myofunctional Therapy?

As with many oral health concerns, the earlier, the better. Early intervention is critical because of the serious nature of tongue-ties and the related conditions they cause. Ideally, once your child is diagnosed with a tongue, or you suspect your child has a tongue-tie, you should call Millennium Smiles to schedule a consultation for myofunctional treatment.

Want to learn more about how we treat tongue-ties in Frisco or Little Elm? Call 972-987-4899 today to schedule a consultation.

Effects of Pacifier and Thumb Sucking

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Thumb or pacifier sucking is a phase that every infant goes through. It’s a reflexive habit that puts babies at ease – not to mention it allows parents a brief chance to enjoy some peace and quiet.

While it’s a perfectly normal habit, if it persists for too long, it can cause problems with the development of a child’s mouth and jaw.

Impact on Oral Development

The desire to suck on a pacifier or thumb often subsides between the ages of 2 and 4, according to the American Dental Association. However, at a later age, consistent pressure exerted from sucking on a thumb or pacifier can alter the shape of the mouth, resulting in:

  • Upper teeth protruding
  • Upper jaw protruding
  • Lower teeth leaning back
  • General misalignment of top and bottom teeth when the mouth closes

The intensity and frequency of the sucking motion often determines whether the habit has health consequences. For example, a child might simply allow the thumb or pacifier to rest in his or her mouth, a routine that isn’t as harmful as aggressively sucking. Similarly, a child who only sucks his or her thumb for a few minutes a day is causing less damage to the mouth and jaw than a child who does it for several hours.

Children may require a treatment such as Myobrace to correct their oral habits and allow their teeth to come in straight.

How to Help Your Child Drop the Habit

Don’t be too severe when talking to your child about thumb sucking. The habit is often the result of anxiety, so scolding the child can make it more likely he or she is tempted to rely on the behavior to soothe the nerves.

A better solution is to reward the child anytime he or she resists the urge to return to the habit. If that fails, the ADA suggests bandaging the thumb as a reminder not to suck on it.

If you have any questions, feel free to talk to Dr. Korous about your child’s oral habit development. Don’t forget that Millennium Smiles is here for all of your Little Elm Dental needs!

Myobrace: 4 Steps for Straighter Teeth in Children

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At Millennium Smiles, Dr. Dunia Korous is proud to offer Myobrace treatments for some of her youngest patients.

Myobrace is a preventative pre-orthodontic treatment than can eliminate the need for braces later on, in a majority of cases.

Most people assume it is best to wait to begin treatment until a child has all their permanent teeth. However, waiting until a child has all their permanent teeth is not always the best course of action. Many children develop poor oral habits long before their permanent teeth are present.

Myobrace treatment begins with correcting poor oral habits. The older a child is before they begin treatment, the more likely they are to have developed bad habits. Treatment is most effective when it can begin before poor habits are ingrained in the child.

Myobrace treatment involves four stages:

  • Habit correction,
  • Arch development,
  • Dental alignment, and
  • Retention.

Step 1: Habit Correction

This stage is designed to teach the child to breathe through their nose instead of the mouth, train their tongue to rest in the right position, swallow correctly, and keep their lips closed with they are not speaking or eating.

Correcting these habits will help the child’s jaws grow the proper size so teeth come in straight naturally.

Step 2: Arch Development

In addition to the habit correction in Step 1, additional arch development may be needed in order to widen the upper jaw. This will create enough space for the teeth and tongue.

Step 3: Dental Alignment

While the child’s permanent teeth are coming in, a Myobrace appliance is used to align teeth into their natural position.
In the majority of cases, Myobrace can eliminate the need for braces when the appliances are used correctly and worn according to the dentist’s instructions. However, in some cases braces or other orthodontic treatment may still be required. In those cases, the child will need to use braces for a much shorter period of time thanks to the Myobrace system.

Step 4 – Retention

Unlike traditional braces, Myrobrace’s retention phase often prevents the need to wear a permanent retainer for extended periods of time.
If you’d like to learn more about Myobrace treatment, call our Frisco Dental office today to schedule a consultation.

Is Your Child Snoring?

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Isn’t cute when your little one snores? Honestly, it’s adorable. It may also be a sign of something more serious. It could be evidence of a breathing disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea or a deviated septum.

Causes of Snoring in Children

The causes of snoring in children are similar to the causes of snoring in adults. Some of these causes are relatively benign, but some are more serious. Here are the most common causes of snoring in children:

Congestion. A cold, respiratory infection or congestion caused by allergies can force a child to breathe through their mouth which can cause snoring.

Swollen Tonsils. Swollen tonsils and enlarged adenoids can temporarily block blocking the airway, causing snoring and difficulty sleeping. While for some children, this is a temporary situation, but many children with this condition have obstructive sleep apnea.

Deviated Septum. Some children are born with a deviated septum, which means the divider between their nostrils is offset. An offset septum makes breathing through the nose more difficult (and noisier!)

Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, also known as OSA, is caused when the airway is blocked. It can be blocked by the tongue or by enlarged glands. Children living with OSA often snore loudly and repeatedly wake through the night, often gasping for breath. According to statistics, around three percent of children under the age of 10 have OSA.

Incorrect Jaw Position. Did you know that the position of the jaw can contribute to snoring and sleep apnea? If the jaw is set too far back, the tongue is too far back. A tongue that is too far back can fall and block the airway when your child is relaxed during sleep and impact breathing.

Why You Should Be Concerned About Snoring

Breathing is one of the two most critical functions of the human body because it keeps us alive! When breathing is difficult because of a breathing disorder, the body can be severely impacted as can sleep. Sleep apnea and breathing disorders increase blood pressure and have been linked to other dangerous health conditions such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Also, when sleep is impacted, your child may act out, be more tired than usual, have difficulty concentrating, or complain of headaches.

What Should You Do if You Notice Your Child Snoring?

If you notice your child snoring, you should mention it to Dr. Korous. Dr. Korous recognizes that sleep apnea is a serious condition in both children and adults and has the training and resources necessary to help. Learn more about how Millennium Smiles uses technologically advanced dental care to help treat sleep apnea by calling 972-987-4899.

Child’s ADHD Could Actually Be Sleep Apnea

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Most people think of sleep apnea as a condition that only affects adults, but children can be diagnosed with this sleeping disorder. In fact, some of the common behavior or learning problems associated with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be symptoms of sleep apnea.

Dr. Korous and her staff recently at our Frisco dental office began a continuing education program with the renowned sleeping disorder expert, Dr. Steven Olmos. Dr. Olmos is the founder and CEO of TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre International in California and is one the leading experts on how sleep apnea can affect children.

Dr. Olmos has learned that children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder could actually have a breathing disorder.

What is sleep apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious health issue where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you’re sleeping.

In sleep apnea patients, the muscles in the back of the throat relax, causing their airway to narrow or close as they breathe. Their brains will sense they’re not breathing well, causing them to wake up and reopen their airways.

In children, underdeveloped jaw structure could cause the jaw to push back and block the airway.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea in children?

Many of the symptoms of sleep apnea in children are the same as the symptoms for adults, including:

  • Snoring
  • Mouth breathing
  • Restlessness sleep
  • Stopping and starting breathing
  • Teeth grinding
  • Mood changes
  • Poor concentration
  • Headaches
  • Frequent infections and other illness

Parents should look for these additional symptoms in children:

  • Sleeping in odd positions
  • Night terrors
  • Bed wetting

How is sleep apnea related to ADHD?

Many of the symptoms of ADHD overlap with the symptoms of sleep apnea. Difficulty concentrating and staying of focused in school could be due to restless nights caused by a sleeping disorder.

A 2011 study of more than 11,000 children found those with a sleep breathing disorder were more likely to show signs of hyperactivity and have behavior problems such as aggressiveness and not following rules. By age 7, the children in the study were more likely to show these behavioral issues which are frequently used to diagnose a child has having attention deficit disorder.

If your child is showing behavior problems, having difficulty at school or has been diagnosed with ADHD, call our office today to ask about options for sleep apnea treatment. Dr. Korous will work with your child’s physician to determine if your child has sleep apnea and develop a treatment plan.

Additional Reading: ADHD or Sleep Disorder: Are We Getting It Wrong?

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